Huna Article
Huna International
Acceptance
by Serge Kahili King
The following question was sent to me by a student: “I listen to teachings that tell
me to accept whatever happens and just get on with my life, but I don't understand.
How can I accept something that causes me emotional or physical pain?”
The problem with “accepting” something is due to the many meanings given to this
word in English. Most problematic is the meaning of “to tolerate or submit to
something unpleasant or undesired.” Adding to the problem is the meaning of “to
receive something as adequate, valid, or suitable.” And an unspoken, but extremely
common meaning given to this word is “to let something you don't like hang
around forever.”
Naturally, these meanings make the idea of acceptance sound like stupidity. Who in
their right mind would want to do that, unless you “accept” a philosophy of
predestination or unchangeable fate.
So, why would a teacher (me, for instance) recommend that you accept whatever
happens and move on? This is based on another meaning of the word: “to take
upon oneself a responsibility or liability.” This does not mean to take responsibility
for it happening, it means taking responsibility for doing something about it.
Some people prefer to use the word “acknowledge” instead of “accept,” but the
implication is different. You can acknowledge something without doing anything
about it, but if you accept it in the meaning just given, doing something about it is
the next related step.
There are two things you can do about something, once you have accepted its
existence:
-
Consciously change the situation, if you can. You cannot control any situation,
but you can always change something about the situation You may not be able
to change the whole thing, but the more knowledge, skill, energy and
persistence you can bring to bear on it, the more effective your efforts will be.
Of course, this requires a certain degree of self confidence to even begin
making a change in the situation, but even the smallest change is worthwhile,
either in the source of the situation, the nature of the situation, or the way you
deal with it.
-
Consciously change yourself. This means to stop resisting the situation (ongoing
emotional or physical resistance makes anything harder to change), get centered in
the present moment, and keep a focus on what you want, instead of on what you
don't want. To the degree you can do this, magic happens. In other words,
situations have a very strong tendency to change themselves when you stop
resisting them and hold a positive focus of intent or desire. The most important and
useful way to change yourself in such a situation is to find a way, with help if
possible or necessary, to remove all fear and doubt about the situation. It may not
be easy, but it’s very much worth the try.
Copyright Huna International 2024
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